


It's All My Fault That I'm Still The One You Want

by tabbytabbytabby



Series: Some Kind of Disaster [1]
Category: Prodigal Son (TV 2019), Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Confessions, Crossover, Developing Relationship, M/M, Misunderstandings, Old Friends, Past Relationship(s), Pining, Reunions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-12
Updated: 2020-04-12
Packaged: 2021-02-23 03:41:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,741
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23605090
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tabbytabbytabby/pseuds/tabbytabbytabby
Summary: The last thing Malcolm expected when he looked into the interrogation room was to see his former college roommate sitting there arrested for murder.
Relationships: Malcolm Bright/Derek Hale
Series: Some Kind of Disaster [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1699090
Comments: 16
Kudos: 65





	It's All My Fault That I'm Still The One You Want

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Ithinkwehaveanemergency](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ithinkwehaveanemergency/gifts).



> For Adri,  
> Happy Birthday, my friend! ♥
> 
> Title comes from the song [Some Kind of Disaster](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xDDwPuEnHKk) by All Time Low

When Malcolm heard they’d arrested someone for their latest case, the last thing he expected was to see his former roommate Derek Stevens sitting in the interrogation room, especially under a different name: Derek Hale. Then again Derek had been a mystery during their time together at college. One Malcolm had always been unable to crack. Maybe now he finally could.

He does have the upper hand here, after all.

He waits until Gil and JT have walked away before slipping into the room. Derek strangely doesn’t look surprised to see him.

“Malcolm Bright.” He leans back in his chair and eyes him. Malcolm tries not to react to the familiar, yet different way his eyes rake over him. “Or should I say _Whitly_?”

“So you finally did your research,” Malcom says, taking the seat across from him. “Though I’m not the only one who was going by a different name, Derek Hale.”

Derek shrugs, “Hale is my real last name. Stevens was grandmother's last name. It was… safer.”

“Safer from what? Is whatever it is the reason you’re in here?” Malcolm asks. When Derek remains silent, Malcolm sighs. “Oh what? You suddenly don’t want to talk to me?”

"I'm not saying anything without my lawyer."

Malcolm raises an eyebrow and leans back in his chair, "What do you need a lawyer for if you're innocent?"

"Lawyers aren't just for the guilty, Malcolm," Derek says. "I've dealt with enough corrupt cops to know I need a lawyer, no matter what, so they don't railroad me for something I didn't do."

"I'm not a cop," Malcolm reminds him. 

"But you worked for the FBI," Derek says. "And now you work for the police."

"As a consultant." He's not used to this Derek. The Derek he knew had trust issues, sure, but nowhere near this bad. "What's happened to you? You weren't like this in college."

"A lot has changed since then," Derek says. 

"Derek if you just talk to me, I can help you," Malcolm says. "I don't believe you did this. But I need your help proving it. And my friends, they're not here to railroad anybody. They just want to make sure the right man goes down for this."

"Woman," Derek says. "And believe me, it's gonna take a lot more than you and your friends to bring her down."

"Why? Who is she?"

"I'd like my lawyer, please."

“Derek…”

“ _Lawyer_ ,” Derek cuts in.

“Fine,” Malcolm says. “I’ll call your lawyer. But come on, you know you can trust me. You did back then.”

Derek’s mask slips for a moment, before the scowl appears on his face again. “As I said before, a lot has changed since then.”

“You clearly have.”

Malcolm doesn’t mean to say it out loud, but he does feel strangely satisfied, and maybe a little guilty, at the way Derek winces. He can tell most of this is an act, a way of protecting himself, and that the Derek he knew is still in there. He’s just not sure how to pull him out. At least not yet. 

He gets to his feet and pushes a notepad towards Derek. “Write down the name and number for your lawyer.”

Derek does as he’s told and pushes the notepad back over to him. For a moment, their fingers brush, and Malcom’s breath hitches. It should unnerve him how Derek can still make him feel this way when he hasn’t seen him in years. Like he’s nineteen and learning what it means to fall in love, and also what it’s like to lose it in the cold of the morning and wonder whether it was ever real at all.

Derek being here is proof that he existed, even if it’s not the same man he remembers all those years ago. Malcolm isn’t exactly the same himself. 

Malcolm clears his throat and backs towards the door. He taps the notepad against his thigh, and tries to ignore the way Derek’s gaze follows him. “I’ll make sure to contact this…” he peers down at the name on the notepad and frowns. “Stiles?”

“Believe me, his real name doesn’t roll off the tongue that easily.”

“Does everyone have fake names?” Malcolm blurts out.

Derek grins, “It’s a nickname. You know all about those, don’t you Malcolm? Or should I say…?”

“Don’t!” Malcolm interrupts, looking towards the pane of glass on the back wall, suddenly worried someone is on the other side. The last thing he needs is for anyone to hear _that_ nickname. All it would do is raise questions.

Derek smirks, “Oh, you don’t like it? You always seemed to enjoy it in college.”

That wasn’t true at first. Malcolm hated the nickname, but he liked the way Derek would say it. The teasing way it would roll off his lips as he smiled at him. Those damn bunny teeth poking out and making Derek look far more adorable than he had any right too.

They still do, even if Derek’s features aren’t as soft as they used to be. Malcolm has no doubt if he smiled at him now the same way he did back then he’d melt on the spot.

“I thought you weren’t going to talk to me without your lawyer,” Malcolm says. He’s deflecting, but he needs to get the upper hand back somehow.

Derek chuckles at that and opens his mouth. Before he can say anything the door opens and a man strides in. “Well then it’s a good thing I’m here.”

Malcolm studies him. He’s tall and lithe, and doesn’t look like any lawyer Malcolm has ever seen. He’d used to stiff people in suits. This man is relaxed and wearing jeans and a button up shirt, with the sleeves rolled up. “This is your lawyer?”

“I am,” the man says again, his narrowed eyes moving over Malcolm. “I’m Stiles Stilinski. And you are?”

“Malcolm Bright,” Malcolm says, holding out his hand with a smile. He might be a little suspicious, but he still knows how to be polite.

“You don’t look like a cop,” Stiles says.

Malcolm is close to pointing out that he doesn’t look like a lawyer when the door opens again. “He’s not,” Gil says. “He’s a consultant. And he’s now leaving. Isn’t that right, Bright?”

“Of course,” Malcolm smiles. “I’ll leave you two to talk.”

“Nice seeing you again, Malcolm,” Derek calls after him.

“You know him?” he hears Stiles asking. 

The door closes and Malcolm turns to face Gil. He points his finger down the hall and Malcolm knows to follow him when he starts walking to his office. He closes the door and sits at his desk and eyes Malcolm warily. 

“Do I want to know why you were alone with our suspect?”

“Because I don’t think he did it,” Malcolm says.

“How can you be so sure about that?” Gil asks him. “The evidence…”

“I know him,” Malcolm says. “Or I did.”

“How exactly did you know him?”

“We were roommates our first year of college,” Malcolm tells him. “Friends.”

Gil sighs, “Bright, I really don’t think you can be impartial about this one.”

“Of course I can’t,” Malcolm says, not even bothering to argue. “But the Derek I knew wouldn’t kill someone like this.”

“How do you know he’s still the Derek you knew?” Gil asks him. “People change.”

“Not always. He’s different, sure. But I can see the core of him is still the same.”

“And you got all of this out of not even a twenty minute conversation?”

“That’s all I needed,” Malcolm says. “I could tell within the first five minutes.”

“You really believe he’s innocent?”

“I do, and I think this is bigger than him. Or at least that’s what he told me. He wouldn’t say much. But there’s more that we’re not seeing.”

Gil sighs and leans back in his chair. He looks out the window to his office to where Dani and JT are standing. “Dani was saying the same thing.”

“Well she is a smart woman with good instincts,” Malcolm says. “If you don’t want to listen to me, you should listen to her.”

“Fine, we’ll talk to him and this lawyer of his,” Gil says. When Malcolm starts to move towards the door with him, he shakes his head and points towards the seat by his desk. “No. You’re staying here.”

“But you said _we_.”

“I did. I meant Powell and I would talk to him,” Gil tells him.

“But Derek trusts me…”

“And you’re not impartial, Bright. I need you to trust us to be able to do our job.”

Malcolm sighs and slumps back into his seat. “Fine.”

“He’s an ex, right?” JT says from the doorway.

“No.”

JT raises an eyebrow, clearly not buying Malcolm’s denial. “We never dated.”

“But you wanted to.”

“How did you get that much out of a conversation you were obviously eavesdropping on?”

JT shrugs and leans back against the wall by the door. “I can read between the lines.”

“Uh huh.”

“Or you’re just really obvious.”

“You know I would stand up for any friend of mine like I am Derek,” Malcolm says.

“Maybe, but this is different, isn’t it?”

“You really want to talk about my personal life right now?”

“Not really, no, but Tally says I should work on being more empathetic.”

Malcolm smiles at that, “Smart woman you have there, Jacob Tyler.”

JT huffs out a laugh and pushes off the wall, “Not even close.”

“I’m going to keep trying!” Malcolm calls after him.

Then Malcolm is once again left alone with his thoughts. Not exactly a place he wants to be right now. He wants to know what’s happening, but he knows better than to go to the interrogation room. But there is a coffee machine in the hall close by…

Smiling to himself, he gets to his feet and heads down the hall. He ignores the knowing smirk JT sends his way. He busies himself making a fresh pot of coffee. There’s no telling how long the old one was there anyway. He’s just being a good co-worker. That takes all of about ten minutes. He spends another five making his own cup, and then he’s left to stand there. 

It’s completely reasonable for him to lean against the wall next to the machine as he drinks his cup. He’s helping out by telling anyone that walks by that the pot is fresh. People need to be informed.

He pours himself another cup and checks his watch. It’s been close to an hour since Gil left him. Surely, they have to be close to finished by now. Maybe he should just go check…

The sound of the door opening down the hall stops him from moving. He pulls out his phone and pretends to be checking something as he takes a sip of his coffee.

“Malcolm,” Gil says. “What are you doing?”

“I made coffee,” Malcolm tells him. “And thought everyone should know.”

“Uh huh. I’m sure that’s the only reason you’re out here.”

“I don’t know why else I would be.”

“Couldn’t possibly be because you’re nosy and wanted to know what was happening with me,” Derek says, startling Malcolm.

“Derek!”

“He’s free to go,” Gil tells him. “He and Mr. Stilinski offered up some pertinent information on a woman named Monroe. Something we’re having to send up to the FBI.”

“Oh great,” Malcolm says.

Derek smiles at that, “Not on the best terms with your former bosses?”

“You could say that,” Malcolm says. “But it is great that they let you go. I told you he was innocent.”

He directs this last part to Gil, who shakes his head. “Yes, I know. And I looked into it. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go make some phone calls.”

He walks away, Dani following after him. She smiles on her way by. “Good luck,” she whispers.

“I have to get back to my office,” Stiles says. “Do you need a ride somewhere?”

Derek looks to Malcolm, “No. I think Malcolm and I need to talk.”

“But you could drop us off at my place,” Malcolm says. When Derek raises an eyebrow, he shrugs. “I don’t drive.”

“Yeah I remember,” Derek says. “But it’s bold of you to assume I’d just go back to your place.”

“I figure whatever conversation we’re going to have should be in private,” Malcolm says. “Or am I wrong?”

“You’re not.”

“Great, so now that that’s out of the way, am I driving you or not?” Stiles questions.

“You are,” Derek says.

Malcolm half expects the drive to his place to be filled with awkward silence. Instead, it’s filled with Stiles’ chatter as he talks about some movie that’s coming out that he really wants to see. Malcolm tries to pay attention, but winds up zoning out. Mostly because he gets distracted looking at Derek. 

He’s changed since college. For one, he’s now sporting a beard, and his muscles are more defined. Not that he’s noticed. And if he has, it’s only because it’s important for him to notice things for the job. 

Derek smiles at something Stiles says, and Malcolm forgets to breathe for a moment at the sight of his bunny teeth on full display. Those, at least, have stayed the same. The sight of that smile always made him swallow his tongue in college. The effect is much the same now. He’s just glad he’s not expected to talk. Then he’d really be screwed. 

For now he has time to compose himself until he gets back to his place.

* * *

“So, are you ever going to tell me why you had to use a fake last name?” Malcolm asks. He tries for casual, but he can tell by the amused lift to Derek’s lips he doesn’t quite make it. He’s curious though. He can’t help it.

"I couldn't risk her finding me."

"Her being Monroe?"

"No, a different woman. Someone worse."

"You have a lot of problems with women," Malcolm muses. 

Derek huffs out a laugh, "You have no idea."

There’s something in Derek’s voice and the added tension in his posture that lets Malcolm know there’s a lot of trauma there. Something he’ll unpack later. When he has more time and doesn’t have to worry about scaring Derek off. Because damn does he want him to stay.

“I haven’t had the best luck either,” Malcolm says. He takes a drink of his whiskey and eyes Derek over the class. “It’s why I tend to veer towards men these days.”

“That does seem to be the safer course,” Derek says. His body shifts, leaning closer and Malcolm can’t help but be pulled in.

"I was totally into you in college," Malcolm finds himself admitting.

Derek snorts, “Yeah right.”

"I flirted with you all the time!" 

"You flirted with everyone." 

"But I flirted with you _differently._ "

“That’s not…” Derek trails off with a laugh. “Look, if you call whatever you did flirty, you did it poorly.”

“Because it was you,” Malcolm says.

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“You were always different,” Malcolm tells him. “You weren’t ever going to be some conquest. Or someone I just wanted to get into bed. I… always knew I’d want more than that.”

“Why didn’t you say something?” Derek asks him.

“I did,” Malcolm says quietly. He sets his drink down, no longer able to stomach it. “The night before you left. Don’t you remember?”

“I remember you getting trashed and…”

“I told you I loved you,” Malcolm says. “And then woke up the next morning and you were gone.”

“I… that wasn’t because of you,” Derek says. “I didn’t think you were serious. And that just made me realize that you could never want me the way I wanted you. Except well…”

“I did,” Malcolm breathes. He reaches for Derek’s hand, and is relieved when he doesn’t pull away. Instead he turns it over and uses his grip to pull Malcolm closer. “I do.”

“You don’t know me anymore,” Derek whispers back.

“I’d know you anywhere,” Malcolm tells him. “Every version of you. Whatever mask you wear. I’ll always see you.”

“Malcolm…”

“I won’t ask anything of you,” Malcolm tells him. “I think we’re both a little drained from the day. But I want to see if you again.”

Derek looks at him a moment, his gaze unwavering, as if he's searching for something. Then he nods. “Okay.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Kudos/comments make my day 💜  
> [My tumblr](http://tabbytabbytabby.tumblr.com/)


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